Clut ch-pedal-shre ting means



J. W. MOORE.

CLUTCH PEDAL SHIFTING MEANS.

APPLICATION HLED June, 1919.

1,323,403. Patented Dec. 2,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

a -fifl aare J. W. MOORE.

CLUTCH PEDAL SHIFTING MEANS.

APPLICATION men JULYIS. 1919.

1,323,403. Patented Dec. 2,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- JOSEPH w. MOORE, 0E IBERWICK, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLUT'QH-PEDAL-SHIFTING MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 16, 1919. Serial No. 311,273. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berwick, in the county of Columbia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutch- Pedal-Shifting Means, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. 1

This invention relates to attachments for automobiles, and particularly to an attachmerit peculiarly designed for use with a Ford car for the purpose of holding down the clutch pedal.

In cars of the type referred to, the clutch pedal must be pressed firmly down whenever it is desired that the car shall run on its low speed, and when the driver is comp'elled,'-by force of circumstances, to keep the pedal depressed for any considerable length of time, the left leg and foot of the driver, which are used upon I the pedal, become very tired. lhis is particularly true when climbing a long and tedious-hill, as it is very wearing on the driver, because he is obliged to exert all of his weight on his left foot in order to bear down firmly on the clutch pedal.

The general objectof this invention is to provide a mechanism which, while not affecting the operation of. the gear by the clutch pedal in the normal course of events, will permit the operator to force the clutch down and then hold itin its depressed position until the top of the hill is reached, when the clutch pedal may be readily released.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which may be advantageously used in descending a hill, as it permits force to be applied to the clutch pedal which will hold the machine in low gear without steady and continuous pressure being exerted by the left foot and leg.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is very simple, and which may be readily applied to certain makes of cars without changing the gearing.

or operating means thereon.

Other objects will'appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of an automobile showing my clutch pedal v operating mechanism applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a face view of the mechanism, the

lever being in section; F g. 3 is a top plan view-0f the link 16; Fig. 4 1s a rear elevation of the link;

Patented Dec. 2,1919. 7

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the pedal, showing the link connected thereto;

F g. 6 1s a top plan view of the base 10; F 1g. 7 1s a side elevationof the bolt and nut for engaging the link to the pedal.

Referring to thesedrawings, it will be seen that my appliance comprises a base 10, which may be made of cast iron or any other suitable material, and is adapted to be secured byscrews to the floor of the car. This base extends upward at one end,,as at 11,

parallel with the inclined foot board of the car, and is there bifurcated'or forked, as at 12. Extending through this fork or bifurcation is a pivot pin or bolt '13.

Pivotally mounted on this pivot-pin is an angular lever, designated generally 14, having one arm 15 formed to provide'a'handle, this arm being slightly deflected'downward at its outer end. This lever and the base 10 are mounted on the left hand side of a machine of the'type described, conveniently to the operators hand.

Pivotally connected to'the lever 14: at the intersection of its two arms, is a link 16, that end of the link which engages with the angle of lever 14: being bifurcated to embrace the lever, and being provided with a plurality of perforations 17, through any one of which a bolt may be passed to permit the adjustment of the link. The link is thus pivotally connected to the lever. The link 16, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is slightly curved upward and laterally relative to the car, as at 18, theneXtends laterally, as at 19, and then is downwardly and rearwardly deflected, as

shank 22 and a head 23,-perforated for the passage of a bolt 24 which passes through I the bifurcated, angular end 21 and through this perforation in the head. The shank 22 extends through the clutch pedal A and may be engaged by a nut to hold it in place. This bolt is, of course, disposed on the pedal so that it will not be in the way of the drivers foot in the ordinary operation of the pedal.

The operation of this appliance is as follows: Ordinarily, if the operator desires to run the car at low speed, he presses his foot against the pedal A and forces it forward, but if it is desired to hold the clutch pedal A depressed for any length of time, the operator then pulls up on the rear end of the handle 15 on lever 14, which will cause the lever to swing forward on its pivot 13 and the link 16 will be pushed forward. This movement is continued until the lever and the link have swung past their centers of motion, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, when it is obvious that the clutch pedal will be held from any further movement, and it will remain in this locked position until force is applied to the end of the handle 15 to depress this and pull the link outward, thus releasing the pedal.

By means of this appliance, therefore, it is obvious that the operator can readily shift the clutch pedal in by hand and hold it shifted for any length of time, and as readily release the clutch pedal, thus giving the operator a much better control than he would otherwise have of the clutch pedal, and eliminating entirely the necessity of holding the foot upon the clutch pedal for long periods. Furthermore, it is obvious that a relatively great leverage will be secured by the lever 14 so that the clutch pedal may be readily operated.

This device is particularly intended for use on Ford automobiles. The appliance does not in any respect interfere with the ordinary and normal operation of the clutch pedal, that is the latter can be just as easily depressed by foot as before the installation of this appliance. Upon the removal of the foot pressure from the clutch pedal, it springs back into position without the application of any force to the handle 15, that is when depressing the pedal for ordinary shifting of gears on level ground, this appliance is not used, as in such cases there is no necessity of depressing the clutch pedal as far as it will go, nor any necessity for holding it in that position for any length of time, and upon the removal of the foot from the clutch pedal, it will under these circumstances move back into position without any resistance from this appliance, as the clutch pedal is not sufliciently depressed to cause the link and leverto move past their dead centers and lock.

I claim 1. The combination with a car having a 2. The combination with a car having a pedal, of means for actuating the pedal and holding 1t depressed, comprising a hand operated lever pivotally mounted at one end,

and a link pivotally connected to the lever and to the clutch pedal, the lever and link being shiftable past their centers in one direction to hold the clutch pedal in its shifted position, and manually shiftable in the opposite direction past their centers to release the clutch pedal.

3. In an automobile, the combination with a clutch pedal, of manually controllable means for shifting the clutch pedal in one direction and holding it shifted, comprislng an angular lever pivotally mounted upon the floor of the car and having a handle extending rearward, a link pivotally connected to the angular lever and extending upward and forwardtherefrom and at its. upper end pivotally connected to the clutch pedal whereby the free end of the handlemay be raised to throw the clutch pedal in and shift the downwardly extending arm of the lever and the link beyond thelr centers, to thereby hold the clutch pedal in its shifted position.

4. An attachment of the character described comprising a base plate adapted to be attached to the floor of a car, an angular lever pivotally mounted at one end to the base plate, the opposite end of the lever constituting a handle, a link pivotally.

connected to the lever at the intersection of the two arms, the upper end of the link being laterally extended, and a bolt pivotally connected to the extremity of the link, and pivot means whereby it may be attached to a clutch pedal.

5 An attachment of the character described comprising a base plate adapted to be attached to the floor of a car, an angular lever pivotally mounted at one end to the base plate, the opposite end of the lever constituting a handle, a link pivotally connected to the leverat the intersection of the two arms, the upper end of the link being laterally extended, and a bolt pivotally connected to the extremity of the. link, and pivot means whereby it may be attached to a clutch pedal, the opposite end of the link being bifurcated to embrace the lever at the intersection of its arms, said. bifur cated portion being provided with a plurality of perforations for the passage of a bolt pivotally connecting the link to the lever.

6. An attachment ofithe character described comprising a base plate adapted to be attached to the fioor of a car, an angular lever pivotally, mounted at one end 130 to the base plate, the opposite end of the lever constituting a handle, a link pivotally connected to the lever at the intersection of the two arms, the upper end of the link being laterally extended, the link at the end of said lateral extension being angularly bent and bifurcated, and a bolt having a head disposed in said bifurcated portion of the link and pivoted thereto and having 10 a screw-threaded shank and nut whereby the link may be operatively connected to" I the clutch pedal of an automobile.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARK L. DIcKsoN, M. H. REMMERT. 

